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Re: THOUGHTS: Gogol and graphomania
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V. Fet informs that "pueritus scribendi" (Lat. childhood graphomania)" is a "Latin term, obviously invented by VN," and that it had been translated that way. From Wikipedia he extracted a "nice quote on graphomania, applicable to many of us":See full text at: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5353/
JM:... Oh, dear! At least there is safety in numbers.
In a second posting, on birch-trees, as one of the favorite items of Russian nostalgia, V.Fet added: "Oh, but this is such a classical example of clicheed poshlust! Just add some troika sleighs and vodka shots..."
JM:Yes, the commentator was being slightly ironic ( I'll try to retrieve her sentence to quote it correctly, I'm still uncertain of its authorship). Also thanks for the information about Dostoyevsky: "in part I of "Brothers Karamazov" Fyodor Pavlovich declares "The strength of Russia is in the birch" - but what he means are "rozgi", i.e. birch rods used for a popular corporal punishment (children as well as adults!).These were known also as "birch porridge" ("berezovaya kasha"). I bet Dostoyevsky had little use for sparkling snow either." - even if this time the irony was served on me, it was a great read, also for the additional clarification on conifers and landscape-forming species.
The interesting item I secondarily gleaned from the quotes was the proximity of birches, bikes and lost loves as mentioned in Lolita and TRLSK. And to lost landscapes and their "wondrously subtle scent" in general. I saw my first birch-tree in New Hampshire when seventeen - it was love at first sight.In Brazil the one that might come closest to it is popularly named "pau-ferro": its scientific name carries an alpine whiff: "caesalpinia ferrea" and it requires many years to become fully grown.
M.Wildish:"A blend, by the looks of it, of 'scribendi peritus', meaning 'experienced, expert, or skilled at writing'; 'furor scribendi', 'a mania for writing'; and 'puer', 'child, boy' - thus 'an expert boyhood mania for writing' - or some such permutation."
JM: I liked your conjecture on " scribendi peritus"because, even after V.F's information that this Latin term had been invented by VN, it still puzzled me. "Pueritus" came together with Gogol's childhood diseases and I'd have expected something like "pueritis" for some kind of inflammation, or at least a "pruritus" (for the "itch")."Peritus" clinched it (even if only in my eyes and ears).
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JM:... Oh, dear! At least there is safety in numbers.
In a second posting, on birch-trees, as one of the favorite items of Russian nostalgia, V.Fet added: "Oh, but this is such a classical example of clicheed poshlust! Just add some troika sleighs and vodka shots..."
JM:Yes, the commentator was being slightly ironic ( I'll try to retrieve her sentence to quote it correctly, I'm still uncertain of its authorship). Also thanks for the information about Dostoyevsky: "in part I of "Brothers Karamazov" Fyodor Pavlovich declares "The strength of Russia is in the birch" - but what he means are "rozgi", i.e. birch rods used for a popular corporal punishment (children as well as adults!).These were known also as "birch porridge" ("berezovaya kasha"). I bet Dostoyevsky had little use for sparkling snow either." - even if this time the irony was served on me, it was a great read, also for the additional clarification on conifers and landscape-forming species.
The interesting item I secondarily gleaned from the quotes was the proximity of birches, bikes and lost loves as mentioned in Lolita and TRLSK. And to lost landscapes and their "wondrously subtle scent" in general. I saw my first birch-tree in New Hampshire when seventeen - it was love at first sight.In Brazil the one that might come closest to it is popularly named "pau-ferro": its scientific name carries an alpine whiff: "caesalpinia ferrea" and it requires many years to become fully grown.
M.Wildish:"A blend, by the looks of it, of 'scribendi peritus', meaning 'experienced, expert, or skilled at writing'; 'furor scribendi', 'a mania for writing'; and 'puer', 'child, boy' - thus 'an expert boyhood mania for writing' - or some such permutation."
JM: I liked your conjecture on " scribendi peritus"because, even after V.F's information that this Latin term had been invented by VN, it still puzzled me. "Pueritus" came together with Gogol's childhood diseases and I'd have expected something like "pueritis" for some kind of inflammation, or at least a "pruritus" (for the "itch")."Peritus" clinched it (even if only in my eyes and ears).
Search archive with Google:
http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=site:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=en
Contact the Editors: mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu
Visit Zembla: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm
View Nabokv-L policies: http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm
Visit "Nabokov Online Journal:" http://www.nabokovonline.com
Manage subscription options: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/